Deck 14: Mexico

Question 1

Despite privatizing much of its industry, the Mexican government still owns much of which major corporation?

A) Federal Election Commission (CFE)
B) Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI)
C) Federal Electoral Institute (IFE)
D) Mexican Petroleum (PEMEX)
E) Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD)

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Under the PRI, what form of government would most political scientists say that Mexico was?

A) Completely totalitarian
B) Completely authoritarian
C) Semi-authoritarian and semi-democratic
D) Fully democratic
E) Anarchic

Answer 2

C

Question 3

After twelve years out of power, which Mexican party won control of the presidency in 2012?

A) NAFTA
B) PAN
C) PEMEX
D) PRD
E) PRI

Answer 3

E

Question 4

The long-ruling dictator of Mexico for much of the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries was __________.

A) Cárdenas
B) Diaz
C) Santa Ana
D) Valenzuela
E) Salinas

Question 5

Which of the following statements best describes Mexican policy concerning Donald Trump's plan to build a wall along the border between the two countries??

A) Mexico has offered to pay for the wall.
B) Mexico refuses to pay for the wall.
C) Mexico has agreed to bring most of its illegal immigrants in the United States back home.
D) Mexico has agreed that its workers can build the wall.
E) Mexico has promised to blow up the wall if it is built.

Question 6

The global recession that started in 2008 has had the following economic impact on the Mexican economy.

A) Currency depreciation has driven Mexico to the brink of default and required a 2009 bailout from the International Monetary Fund.
B) A housing crisis occurred in Mexico that cost millions their savings and helped drive the country into a deep recession.
C) The price of oil has dropped sharply on the world market, costing PEMEX loss of profits.
D) Large numbers of Mexicans have returned from the United States putting pressure on domestic labor markets.
E) Mexico has been one of the few countries able to economically thrive during the recession due to a diversified economy.

Question 7

The tecnicos who came to prominence in the 1980s were

A) professional politicians skilled in the technical aspects of winning elections.
B) entrepreneurs in high-tech industries.
C) men with academic backgrounds in business and economics.
D) seen as leaders who would continue working toward the goals of the revolution.
E) former business executives.

Question 8

A major reason for the rapid rise in Mexican foreign debt was

A) vast overspending by the Mexican government.
B) significant drops in the price of oil.
C) failure of Mexican citizens to pay taxes.
D) the impact of the import substitution policies.
E) the impact of the economic liberalization policies.

Question 9

One of the key characteristics of Mexican political culture is

A) patron-client relations.
B) individualism.
C) hatred of foreigners.
D) defensive individualism.
E) scrupulous honesty.

Question 10

The six-year presidential term in Mexico is referred to as ___________.

A) caudillo.
B) camarilla.
C) maquiladora.
D) mestizo.
E) sexeño.

Question 11

The current president of Mexico is __________.

A) Calderón.
B) dos Santos.
C) Fox.
D) Nieto.
E) Zedillo.

Question 12

The president of Mexico in 2017 was:

A) Felipe Calderon
B) Cuautemoc Cardenas
C) Jorge Castaneda
D) Enrique Pena Niego
E) Vicente Fox

Question 13

Who was PAN's first successful presidential candidate?

A) Felipe Calderon
B) Cuautemóc Cárdenas
C) Jorge Castañeda
D) Adolfo Aguilar Zinser
E) Vicente Fox

Question 14

The sexeño of Lazaro Cárdenas (1934-1940) is remembered for all the following EXCEPT

A) the nationalization of the oil industry.
B) cordial relations with the United States.
C) land reform.
D) the creation of an official trade union.
E) Cárdenas' voluntary retirement from politics in 1940.

Question 15

Mexicans whose ancestry is part white and part Indian are known as __________.

A) Caudillos
B) Camarillas
C) Maquiladoras
D) Mestizos
E) Sexeño

Question 16

In the years immediately preceding the adoption of the constitution in 1917, changes in control of the Mexican government were the result of

A) revolts.
B) elections.
C) appointments by colonial Spain.
D) hereditary transfer by dictators.
E) selection by the Catholic Church.

Question 17

What percentage of the Mexican population lacks access to safe drinking water and indoor plumbing?

A) Ten percent
B) Twenty percent
C) Thirty percent
D) Forty percent
E) Fifty percent

Question 18

For much of the last twenty years, which of the following best describes Mexico's economic condition?

A) Inflation
B) Deflation
C) Collapse
D) Growth
E) Stagnation

Question 19

Prominent features of Mexican political culture include

A) religious diversity.
B) a strong sense of national identity.
C) a low level of perceived legitimacy.
D) the widespread rejection of authoritarianism.
E) the general rejection of values related to the 1917 revolution.

Question 20

Mexico's second largest source of foreign investment comes from

A) the sale of agricultural products.
B) multinational corporations investing in factories.
C) remittances from Mexicans living abroad.
D) the sale of drugs.
E) the sale of oil.

Question 21

In 1939, the National Action Party (PAN) initially was formed to represent the interests of what groups?

A) Catholics and business
B) Environmentalists and feminists
C) Labor and pacifists
D) Protestants and the upper class
E) the military, both officers and enlisted

Question 22

The principle of non-reelection operates at which level in Mexican politics?

A) Federal level only
B) State level only
C) Local level only
D) Federal and state levels only
E) All levels

Question 23

A major reason for the decline of PRI electoral victories after 1997 was the creation of

A) PAN.
B) an anti-NAFTA coalition.
C) the Federal Electoral Institute.
D) the National Chamber of Commerce.
E) the Drug Enforcement Agency.

Question 24

The main features of the Oportunidades program are

A) it comes from foreign aid donated by developed nations and it goes to the areas currently suffering from the greatest drug-related violence.
B) money is given directly to women and is contingent on their children staying in school and the family receiving medical care.
C) spending on education has doubled while money has been saved by offering less of a retirement social safety net for the wealthy.
D) only those who are below a certain income level qualify but the program is otherwise gender and race-neutral.
E) it was brought in by the PRD and was revoked as soon as President Neito's party gained power in 2012.

Question 25

One of the largest drug cartels in Mexico, based out of the Mexican state of Michoacán, is __________.

A) PEMEX
B) La Familia
C) La Maquiladora
D) El Sexeno
E) IFE

Question 26

The ministry charged with internal security and public administration is known as __________.

A) PAN
B) CFM
C) PEMEX
D) Gobernación
E) PRD

Question 27

Which of the following statements best explains why the Mexican president is so powerful?

A) He appoints almost all officials.
B) The parliament is responsible to him.
C) The constitution gives him nearly dictatorial powers.
D) He is personally tremendously popular.
E) He is chosen by an elite electoral college.

Question 28

Until the 2000 election, Mexican elections were generally not considered democratic because of all the following reasons EXCEPT

A) votes were bought.
B) the PRI controlled the Federal Election Commission.
C) demonstrations were discouraged.
D) fraud in the voter registration process.
E) unequal resources between the PRI and opposition parties.

Question 29

When comparing the political systems in Mexico and Germany, one similarity is

A) corporatism created smooth economic transitions.
B) the legislature is elected by a dual proportional and single-member district coalition.
C) the importance of small political parties in forming governing coalitions.
D) strong party discipline being required to hold legislative votes.
E) the importance of religion in maintaining legitimacy.

Question 30

Mexico's economy is a political issue because

A) the absence of an industrial sector makes Mexico dependent on imports.
B) of Mexico's massive debt owed to foreign and international lenders.
C) of the apparent shrinking of the middle class.
D) of the growth of labor unions' power.
E) government is gaining control of more and more economic activity.

Question 31

Despite wanting to institute reform, President Fox made the decision to keep civil servants in place because

A) he wanted to avoid a sudden spike in unemployment.
B) he needed their votes to win a second term.
C) PAN did not have enough experienced people to fill the positions.
D) he was responding to the traditional patron-client system.
E) he was afraid of a possible revolution.

Question 32

What is the name of the upper house of the Mexican national legislature?

A) Chamber of Deputies
B) House of Representatives
C) People's Chamber
D) Senate
E) House of Lords

Question 33

For more than a century, one of the key principles in Mexican politics has been __________.

A) non-reelection
B) democracy
C) totalitarianism
D) individualism
E) self-sufficiency

Question 34

Of all the countries considered in this book, Mexico has one of the weakest bureaucracies, especially when it comes to making policy. That is largely the case because the

A) bureaucracy is very small.
B) bureaucrats are poorly educated.
C) bureaucrats have few resources.
D) system is a federal one.
E) president used bureaucratic positions for patronage.

Question 35

Former President Felipe Calderon's party is known as ________.

Question 36

Like many other countries in the Global South, in the 1980s and 1990s Mexico

A) adopted a more IMF-friendly economy featuring less government ownership of industry.
B) became more socialist, with the government nationalizing key industries.
C) cut off trade with several major powers as part of a trade war.
D) pegged its currency to the value of a dollar to ensure that its economy moved in step with the USA.
E) went from being a debtor nation to a creditor.

Question 37

Many political scientists have not considered Mexico to be a viable democracy because

A) it only has one political party.
B) election results have often been falsified so that the PRI wins.
C) civil liberties are limited.
D) the police have too much power.
E) PRI candidates import voters from the United States.

Question 38

The movement of Mexican workers to the United States is a policy concern to Mexican politicians because

A) of the difficulties Mexican businesses have in filling job openings.
B) earnings repatriated to Mexico are a major boost to the economy.
C) U.S. policy threatens to attract more workers.
D) of the loss of tax revenue workers in the United States would have paid in Mexico.
E) wages in Mexico rise unexpectedly when the number of available workers declines.

Question 39

The ________ ruled Mexico for more than half a century before the year 2000.

Question 40

The policy reforms that helped end the crisis of the 1980s included all the following EXCEPT

A) nationalization of key industries.
B) raising taxes.
C) debt reduction.
D) reductions in government spending.
E) opening the economy to more trade and foreign investment.

Question 41

Why are client-patron relationships or camarillas so prevalent in Mexico? How does this compare to other countries of the Global South?

Question 42

How would you describe the impact of the United States on Mexico? Why did you reach that conclusion?

Question 43

What has been the role of women in Mexican politics? How is that role changing in the last few decades? Do you think a woman will be elected president first in Mexico or the United States? Why?

Question 44

Mexicans that share white and Indian ancestry are known as ________.

Question 45

The Mexican term for patron-client relations is ________.

Question 46

What are the two most important reasons there is so much corruption in Mexico and, by implication, much of the Global South? Why did you reach this conclusion?

Question 47

A key element of Mexican politics has been the fact that elected officials cannot be ________.

Question 48

The term used to describe the cooperation between the PRI and the many interest groups under its influence is ________.

Question 49

President Fox implemented a program to give money to poor mothers with children, in order to give them some independence from their husbands. This program was called ________.

Question 50

The PRI has dominated Mexican politics since the revolution early in the twentieth century. Even with the election of Presidents Fox and Calderon, the PRI remained significant, and subsequently returned to power in 2012. What has made it possible for the party to stay in power so long?

Question 51

The Mexican term for the president's single, six-year term is ________.

Question 52

The ________ were presidential advisors in the 1980s that were selected by the president because of their academic backgrounds in business and economics.

Question 53

Compare the impact of colonialism on Nigeria and Mexico. How was the experience similar for these two countries? How was it different? Did either country benefit from their colonial experience?

Question 54

What is the impact of the policy of non-reelection on the Mexican political system? Is it positive or negative? Do you think such a requirement is a good idea? Why or why not?

Question 55

What role has oil played in modern Mexican politics? Discuss one benefit and one negative aspect that oil has had on Mexico?

Question 56

The highly visible and important nationalized oil company in Mexico is ________.

Question 57

Most political scientists have not considered Mexico to be democratic. What reasons do they give for that assessment? Are they likely to change their minds with the elections of Fox and Calderon? Why or why not?